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More than 30% of the food supply in the United States ends up as waste, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The value of that food was around $161 billion in 2010 and has surely risen since then.
Did your grocery budget just curl up and scream? Mine did. It pains me to think of the loss of all that food, not to mention the resources needed to produce it: tractor fuel, fertilizer, pesticide, packaging, gasoline for transport.
Time to think outside the box — or, rather, outside the garbage can — and get creative about food so we waste less of it.
At least some of the following ideas should work for almost everyone. You’ll offset your carbon footprint and stretch food dollars to boot.
1. Boil down leavings
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My partner and I keep a bag in the freezer for vegetable and fruit scraps — carrot and radish tops, pea pods, onion skins, apple cores, sweet-potato peelings, et al. — plus chicken and pork chop bones.
Next to it is a container that holds the liquid used to boil potatoes or other vegetables.
When the bag is full, we throw its contents plus the veggie cooking water and some salt into the slow cooker and leave it on low overnight. The next morning we strain the liquid and use it as a soup base.
The stock tastes different every time because what went into it varies so widely. But it always makes a great pot of soup.
2. Cook up some garbage soup
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Do tonight’s leftovers consist of just a spoonful or two of mashed potatoes, a quarter-cup of gravy, and a few shreds of chicken or roast beef?
Don’t send it down the garbage disposal! Instead, store it in a bag or container in the freezer. Once the bag is full, you have the makings of a fast dinner.
Put some stock — from your own boiling bag or from a can or carton — into a big pan with seasonings, plus a can of tomatoes if you like. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, then add the contents of the freezer bag.
Stir now and then as it thaws, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. You can add more vegetables if you like, or rice or pasta, or maybe nothing at all — maybe your potage de garbage will taste perfect the first time.
3. Get free tops at the farmers market
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Look at all those lovely fresh turnips and beets for sale at your local farmers market. If …….
Source: https://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/how-to-turn-table-scraps-into-delicious-meals/